WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF

Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur usually involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. That’s what Google has to say about dreams. Does that definition imply that we are capable of controlling that which we dream about? Do we all have dreams? Although anything is a possibility, I do believe that it takes a certain talent to be able to have control over your dreams much like to have control over not having any dreams whatsoever, and that talent entails the ability to shut off your mind and knowingly go into a blank place. I believe it takes a significant amount of concentration to be able to master that. I can see people that dedicate their life to yoga or something equivalent to be able to do that. I can’t see myself, a person, whose mind is constantly moving a million thoughts a minute, ever being able to do that.

Sure there is a copious amount of information out there on the matter of dreams. People dedicate their lives and professions focusing on solely that. It isn’t my profession however and while I’m mildly curious as to why dreams take place and whether it is or isn’t possible to not have them at all, I am merely just another person with just another theory on the subject.

I believe that if you wake up feeling like you haven’t had any dreams, you simply don’t remember them. Perhaps you were so exhausted that your mind decided to spare you the agony of having to go through the fictional events and deciphering them upon waking up. Perhaps your mind wasn’t in the best of shapes to retain memory of the latest events of the evening much less to remember what took place while your subconscious mind was in charge. Whatever the reason, I honestly find it hard to believe that one is capable to just up and not have any dreams unless you’re genuinely a person who doesn’t give a fuck about a single thing in this world. Nothing bothers you; no one makes you think, wonder or question things; you just go on about your days without your mind being consumed with the everyday whateverness. Then you come home, brush your teeth, go to sleep and sink into the vacuum that is the nothingness of your subconscious mind.

Having had a number of dreams throughout my life, the insanity of which would break any normal/insane scale, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen it all. I’ve gone the route of Pink Floyd’s – The Wall. I’ve tried to scream but was unable to. I’ve tried to run but my legs wouldn’t let me. I’ve had my teeth fall out, one by one and all at once. I’ve been through the maze, unable to get out. I’ve been consumed by tsunamis. I’ve been chased by monsters. I’ve sat the monsters down asking them why they feel the need to chase me, trying to figure out where their violence stems from. I’ve watched myself from the bird’s eye view just as much as I’ve played the first-person version. I’ve traveled in time. I’ve battled spiders. One time I even ripped a lion’s jaw open with my own two hands like it was splitting a bagel. I still remember that one quite vividly.

Basically when it comes to dreams, I’ve pretty much “been there, done that”, and I’m here to share with you the top two that I’ve handpicked to star in the categories of the best and the worst.

THE BEST.

Flying – Hands down, that is the best thing to experience while dreaming. It is the most exhilarating feeling. Even if you’re being chased by previously mentioned monsters, as long as you’re able to jump up, spread your arms and take off like a bird, even such a thing as an escape for your life becomes an adventure as you effortlessly hop from one tree top to the next. Some say that flying in your dreams indicates that you’re “growing” or “growing up” whether that’s mentally or physically. Either way, regardless of its potential meaning, when my subconscious graces me with “wings”, I always wake up rested and ready to tackle the day.

THE WORST.

There are a few that almost made the cut, especially considering the fact that most of my dreams are emotionally troublesome. The ones that always kind of suck is when you hit the jackpot but don’t get to enjoy the money, or get a whole bunch of presents that you’re really excited about but just as you’re about to open them, you wake up. Alas, ladies and gentlemen, those are not the worst.

Imagine waking up, and with one eye still half shut, dragging yourself out of bed because you know you have a lot of shit to do. So you stumble to the bathroom, probably hitting your shin a couple times on objects that are still a bit blurry. The tile on your bathroom floor is still cold. You get in the shower, do your morning routine, and take your tired slightly hungover ass to the kitchen where you attempt to make some coffee only to realize that you’re out of coffee. You add “buy coffee” to your already extensive to-do list. You get some of those annoying but necessary phone calls out the way, respond to some text messages and emails; then you finally manage to leave the house. Now you’re sitting in traffic. You finally get to work and your boss is being a dick (probably didn’t sleep very well). So you go through about a third of your day dealing with very real, very bothersome situations, and then… You wake up.

That’s right. Everything that you just experienced that felt so real wasn’t in fact real at all and now you have to do it all over again. Not only that, but you’re faced with questioning yourself about the conversations you’ve had with people. Were they real or were they all just part of the evil dream? Did this actually happen or is my subconscious having a field day and the theme of the party is All Things That Are Fucking Hell?

THE WORST OF THE WORST.

That’s right, it can in fact get worse. Imagine realizing that it was all a dream and forcing yourself to cope with the fact that you now have to repeat all those tasks. Imagine tackling the shin/furniture encounters followed by the feet/cold tile instances, followed by traffic and all of the phone related communications. Imagine being annoyed and frustrated with all of it cause you feel like you’re doing it for the second time since the “first” time felt so real even though it wasn’t, and then… you wake up, AGAIN! BOOM! That’s the ultimate of Mindfucks. Your eyes start twitching; you start pinching yourself and shrugging away from people. You start questioning everything around you because God forbid you have to go through it for the fourth time. Forget dreamless nights, THIS is when you really enter a dark place. I’ve been there, I would know.